Darlington event spotlights job opportunities in vocational industries
Employers ready to hire and guide jobseekers through long-term careers in such fields as construction, heating and air, paving and plumbing will be on hand for a vocational industries job fair at the Arthur W. Stanley Gymnasium at 100 Magnolia St. in Darlington on Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Among the scheduled employers and service providers are Anderson Plumbing and Industrial, Darlington Veneer Company, Diamond Hill Plywood Company, American Pump Corp., Kentco Heating & Cooling Contractors, Florence-Darlington Technical College, SC Works, the State Agency of Vocational Rehabilitation and the U.S. Census.
In addition, several business associations are participating to connect jobseekers with employers who are industry members such as the South Carolina Asphalt Pavement Association, the Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce, the Home Builders Association of the Greater Pee Dee, Carolinas Ready Mixed Concrete Association, the South Carolina Association of Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors, and Carolinas Associated General Contractors.
These organizations are just a few of the businesses that currently have 500 employment opportunities in Darlington County, where the August unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, compared to July’s rate of 4.0 percent. According to S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce data, Darlington County has a current labor force of 30,910 with 29,780 Darlington County residents employed and1,130 unemployed.
Statewide, South Carolina’s unemployment rate was 3.2 percent in August compared to 3.4 percent in July. A new record for employment was set in August, when the number of South Carolinians working reached 2,382,091. The national unemployment rate in August was unchanged at 3.7 percent.
Employers interested in hiring and expanding their workforce in the midst of this record low-unemployment economy may contact the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce business consultant Bernard Moses at (843) 519-1245 or cmoses@dew.sc.gov.
Jobseekers will have the opportunity to talk with employers about careers in their fields and possibly participate in on-site interviews.
If jobseekers need additional support in their search the S.C. Career Coach, a mobile extension of the SC Works centers, will be at the event offering access to computers and WiFi to perform work searches, apply online, create resumes or register in the SC Works online system with assistance from trained staff.
The Career Coach duplicates resources found in such statewide locations as the Hartsville Center at 437 West Carolina Avenue, Building 1, in Hartsville, but does so in a mobile environment that can travel to more rural areas to offer on-site support services.